Those Who Are Blind
by Crystal Jaganshi
Summary: A collenction of thoughts and perspectives of what really goes on in the Nara no Sabaku household versus what the public beleives.
1. Fights

Those Who Are Blind

Fights

Those who are blind, believe my parents fight all the time.

Out in public, my parents might not seem the best matched pair in the world. My demanding Mother badgers my Father about things we need for the house as he mutters about her being "troublesome." Sometimes however, my Father will occasionally speak up. He regrets this quickly, as the entire street quickly finds out that the lamp in their room is in need of a new lampshade because the other one is old and outdated. My Father buries his fingers in his ears and says that she's causing a commotion and being troublesome and, as usual, she whacks him upside the head. People whisper and murmur that their marriage was ill fated and is embarrassing. Suna should have never sent over the sister of the Kazekage. Look how they fight at home. It is not a good environment for those children at all.

They are wrong.

Those who are blind, do not see the affectionate kiss placed on my Fathers head where my Mother whacked him. They also do not see that most of the time, it is he who says we need new items for the house. They do not understand that my Mother's public behavior towards my Father is her way of playing and flirting with him; it is the only way she knows how and looking upset is the only way he knows how to respond. When he calls Mother "troublesome" it is not an insult but the opposite. They do not understand that Father loves Mother for being troublesome and he wouldn't want her any other way.

Those who are blind do not see that at home, after a real fight, they are reluctant to apologize. My Mother is too stubborn, like myself, and my Father has a big ego when it comes to women vs. men. But eventually, they cannot stand being angry and give in. If my Mother is at fault she will go to Father while he is reading or relaxing. She'll sit in his lap and they will whisper quietly to each other. When they finish, he will keep reading and she will usually cuddle up in his lap and fall asleep. When my Father is at fault, he will leave random trinkets and knick- knacks for her in places where he knows she will find them. Or, if he is a romantic mood, he will come to her while she is making supper and hold her, rubbing her uppers arms affectionately, and a kiss follows not too long after. Those who are blind do not understand my parents' fights and it doesn't bother my parents at all. They flirt and fight the way they want to, and that's all that matters.

Signed,

Nara Gaara no Sabaku


	2. Affection

Those Who Are Blind

Affection

Those who are blind believe my parents do not love each other.

Sure, they don't hold hands when they walk down the street. But does that really constitute the assumption that they don't love each other? Sometimes, they hold pinkies when Papa is in a really good mood. Which doesn't happen too often… And of course they argue! That's they're way of saying "I love you but I'm still way better!" and then the other is like "Psh, whatever but I love you lots too." People on the street say that their marriage was only for convenience. Sure, Papa doesn't freak out every time Mama comes home later than she says she's going to and of course he doesn't play shogi with his favorite opponent. Nope no way.

What a bunch of idiots.

First of all, the marriage was arranged by themselves! This is obvious because there is no way Gaara- jichan and Kankuro-jichan would ever force Mama to do something she didn't want to do. Papa wouldn't ever do something he didn't want to because it would be very troublesome. Sometimes, I wish the people on the streets could see the way Papa freaks out when Mama comes home later than she told him. He worries about her constantly after she went on a mission and nearly died. That was before they were married but it brought them together and it's understandable that Papa just can't forget the thought of going through the same thing all over again.

Also, those stupid people never see the "Chu Effect." This is Papa's way of getting out of trouble with Mama and is very humorous to watch. It begins with Mama yelling at Papa, which is nothing new. The next stage in the "Chu Effect" is Papa moving towards her slowly, creeping closer and closer until he is within striking range without her noticing. Then, Papa lays the most crucial part of the "Chu Effect."- a quick peck on the nose. This sends Mama quiet and then, as she covers her nose with her hands, very cutely squeals "Chu!" and skips around the house with sparkles flying after her singing "Chu!" She skips all over the house, and if my twin Gaara and I are present, we get "Chued" as well. Finally the last part of the "Chu Effect" is that she will eventually run back to Papa, jumps into his arms, and give him a Chu kiss and squeal "Chu!" He will smile back at her and always, always say "Chu" with the most tender voice I have ever heard him speak.

This tenderness is not easy to describe. The tender love he holds for her is soft like a feather goose pillow that allows objects to sink into it. This is the best I can do because Papa is a very practical and logical man. I find it very difficult to believe that he even allowed his instincts to take over when it came to Mama. It is the only possible way he could have ever admitted he loved her to himself. Although, it is the logical and practical thinking that allows the ignorant public to think otherwise.

-Nara Kumo no Sabaku


	3. Mornings

Those Who Are Blind

Mornings

Those who are blind will never see my wife's gentle side.

They never see anything past her bossy attitude or the arrogant way she holds herself. She seems rather snobby, even I have to admit, when she is comparing Suna to Konoha. People who do not know her personally judge her and assume she is only here because she was forced to be. They even go as far to believe that if given the chance, she will run all the way back home to escape me. She will never look back and forget about our two precious children.

It hurts her to even think that what they say is true.

She may compare Suna to Konoha, saying Suna is better but she always finds something nice to say about her second home. Her rough exterior is partially because of her inner desire to be the best and partially because of her tough childhood. Anyone would be loud and tough and boisterous if they were told their younger brother was a monster and they believed it to be wrong but never spoke up. Speaking of brothers, as much as she loves and cherishes them she will never run away to them. It is beneath her and an insult to her pride. She would rather die here unhappy than run home like a dog with her tail between her legs. And even then she wouldn't be unhappy because she would figure out a way to weasel out of the marriage legally without going home in shame. If she ever did go home, she would never forget our children. She treasures them so much and puts all of her effort and strength into nurturing them and making them powerful and successful shinobi so that one day, the people that talk behind her back, will stop talking.

Most importantly to me, they never see her in the mornings. Whenever I am summoned in the middle of the night for a mission she gets up and cooks me a nice meal while I wash up and get ready. As I eat she watches me, studying me, trying to ingrain every feature of my face, my body, my hair, and my eyes into her brain. I then go upstairs and kiss my children goodbye and come back downstairs where she is waiting for me. She will stroke my face gently and calls me a crybaby, ordering me not to fail so that she won't have to come and save my butt again. I never respond but kiss her lips for as long as I can before I have to leave. She doesn't say anything else but watches me as I leave until she cannot see me anymore. I know she is hoping, praying, that she will see me sitting in the living room or bedroom waiting for her in a few days.

Sometimes, on normal days, I wake up before she does. Oddly, she is a heavy sleeper and is not a morning person, much like myself. Just as the sun begins to peer into the window and wake her, her visage holds a placid softness as her warm breath touches me, as if she were blowing warm air on a cold window pane. My heart cherishes this portrait of her and my photographic memory stores the portrait in the back of my head. I love feeling her curl up more into me as the sun begins to shine through the window. She tires to block out the sun but when she realizes it is futile to try and sleep any longer, I feel her eyelashes slowly bat open. She'll rub her eye a bit and look up at me, and looks at me tenderly as she says 'good morning'. I will respond in the same manner and she'll ask how long I had been awake for. I always tell her that I woke up when she did but she knows it's a lie. We'll hear Kumo making breakfast downstairs and Gaara thumping down the stairwell, yawning. One of us will mention getting out of bed and the other will agree. Before we slide out of our sanctuary, she will sit up and tell me she loves me. I am usually over whelmed by the passion in her voice and I pull her into a kiss. After, I tell her the same.

My father told me once that a woman is tender to a man she loves and I didn't believe him until I met her. The people on the street never see this and could never hope to see this and really, I am glad.

Nara Shikamaru "no Sabaku"


	4. Simple and Clean

Those Who Are Blind

Simple and Clean

Those who are blind believe I do not love my family.

Frankly, I can see why. My younger brother was regarded as a monster for all of his childhood. When I was old enough to fully understand I sat by and did nothing to change his view, to help make him see that it was false. I did what they say- ran and hid in fear. My other brother grew up tough and arrogant, the brunt of my strong façade. We were always quiet and formal in meetings with the other countries, never showing affection in front of others. It's no wonder that the people on the street believe that I have no love. I am living in another village than the one of my birth. What could have possibly caused me to stay? It couldn't be love. I have none.

For awhile, that was true.

Until I met my future husband, I was a cold kunochi of Suna, the esteemed daughter of the Kazekage, a girl of 15 to be reckoned with. Then everything changed after the Chuunin exams. Father was dead, the Sand was betrayed, thus the plan defeated. Peace would be difficult to regain but could be put on hold as Konoha didn't have a leader anymore either. Then, Gaara stepped foreword to fill in the gap. That night in front of the high council, I wept as my brother spoke. He apologized, he did not need to kill for his existence but to find love and care for something he loved- Suna. I wept and wept and I felt Kankuro's tears fall on my shoulder. That night as we settled into bed, I knew that the three of us would become the family we each had dreamed of. Breakfast became the highlight of our day, where we would share or thoughts and dreams. I reflected on my Chuunin fight. I had lost but won. It didn't feel right inside. Everyone knew the shadow guy had defeated me. Kankuro laughed at my loss but Gaara questioned me, asking if I needed revenge. I didn't need revenge, just a chance to be on equal footing.

The chance came quickly. I defeated the Sound-nin and wanted to rub in his face that I proved myself. But as I turned to him, it somehow didn't feel right. So instead I grinned and he smirked back and gave me a whole hearted thanks. I had nothing better to do so I followed him back to Konoha. We sat in the hospital waiting room in silence. I knew he was worried for his comrades and I could relate, I now felt the same way about my brothers' my only comrades and family. I then met his father. As father talked to son, ignoring my presence, I was awed at the young shadow user. Not by his resolve to do better, but the man he could become. As he walked out of the hospital that night, hunched over and somber I told him an old Suna phrase- hakuna matata. No worries. He looked up at me slowly and I will never forget the genuine, gracious smile he gave me. I never felt so calm and relaxed ever in my life before that moment and I knew then that we were tied together by a red string.

As time passed, many things happened to my family as we grew from teenagers to young adults. Everything in my life was so complex, so intricate, so troublesome. The only thing that was clear to me was my rapidly growing affection for the intelligent shadow user. However, when he proposed to me and ceased my worries, how could I refuse? And nine months later, I bore the two gifts he gave me. I was never so full of love and never so touched as I held my little baby girl, Kumo, and her older brother, Gaara, in my arms. My husband was shocked and took little Gaara from me and cradled him as though he were a cloud, press too hard and it will vanish. As they grew, their personalities made us laugh at night. We couldn't believe how similar they were to ourselves. I knew then that the streets of Konoha were already a buzz with unimportant gossip and lies but I cared not. I was happy with my life. However, tragedy struck time and time again when I kept losing children in my womb. No matter how hard we tried, it seemed as though the twins would be our only children. To make matters worse, my husband was ANBU and was not around as often as I would have liked. Over time back in Suna, foreign relations seemed to grow worse with each passing month.

I could not imagine a worse pain or difficulties until Kumo had her accident with Gaara and the Shukaku. Even though she came out okay, the Shukaku's chakra was flowing through her veins and she became an insomniac. It was terrible at first but I hid my sadness and guilt. My husband was gone half the time because of his job and neither of my brothers could come except to help treat Kumo and teach her the ways of the sand. I was soon given assignments from Suna and lie seemed to whirl around me all at once. I made sure however that Little Gaara understood that Kumo was still the same. I made Kumo understand that she was not a monster no matter what anyone told her. I refused to let her be unloved. My vow succeeded and even though my life was still hectic and full of sorrows and small joys, I knew she would live life as she should.

There are some days when she will sit quietly thinking, watching the clouds. Gaara will beckon her over, to play a game or go out with friends. Sometimes she refuses and he will come sit by her. All of her thoughts will come out slowly and I always frantically worry if Gaara will have the right advice or if I will be able to help her. If I can't assist, if my lazy husband will take time away from the shogi board to fully listen to her. But strangely all she needs is to talk and she feels better. And I realize when it comes to family, words and actions are not needed all the time. Sometimes, a presence is comforting enough. Even through the craziness of life, the ups and downs, the twists and turns, sometimes things are that simple.

Nara Temari no Sabaku


	5. Valenitine's Day

Those Who Are Blind

Valentines

Those who are blind believe that we do not celebrate Valentines Day.

They think that because my mother has no heart, she would have no reason to celebrate the holiday. Her brother, the monster Kazekage, has never received chocolates and who knows about the puppet master. If her brothers never received chocolates, why should her husband who she despises?

They are wrong.

Mother sends Valentines to her brothers, most of father's friends, and of course myself. The chocolate giving to myself or father is a whole other ordeal. First off, Valentine's day was unanimously declared a family holiday during the day. We sit at home, bake cookies, play games and just sit and talk. For dinner, Mother and Kumo go into the kitchen while Father and I go out and come up with presents and chocolate. After dinner, we all sit around the living room and the gift giving begins. I go first, expressing my gratitude towards my sister, then Mother and give them the chocolate I made or bought with Father. Watching Father present however, is my favorite. He gets up there slowly and sluggishly but he always has the most incredible things to say. To Kumo, he will say how proud he is of her as a ninja and a blossoming young woman. It is usually short for her but true and profound at the same time.

Watching Father read to Mother is the best part of the day. After he finishes with Kumo, he will give her chocolate and kiss her on the forehead, smiling. As he moves back to the middle of the room, Mother will pat her hair or shift so her legs are crossed, anxious for her presentation. Father knows that Mother is a real romantic despite her rough exterior and so he will read a poem to her. He never writes them because he knows that it would be too short and could never come close to expressing the love he feels for her. When Father reads, he reads slowly as if to himself to make sure it is the correct poem. He fondly reads, and there is no doubt that Father is enamored Mother and could not live without her. after he finishes, he walks over to her and gives her a chaste kiss on the lips. Mother then smiles at him adoringly and he presents her chocolate to her. No words are exchanged as this is done but that's the way they work. All they need is too look at each other, and feel each other's vibes and emotions to know and love each other. Someday, I hope I will have the same kind of relationship that Mother and Father share on Valentine's Day.

Nara Gaara no Sabaku


	6. Kimono

Those Who Are Blind

Kimono

Those who are blind do not understand the ao-dai.

They find the traditional winter/sandstorm season clothing to be odd, barbaric, and strange. They believe that Mama should have left all her odd barabaric Suna traditions because she is now a resident of Konoha.

They couldn't be more wrong.

First off, Mama is still a Suna ninja. She has a permanent visa as an outsider spouse. And even though Mama and I wear the long pants with the long sleeved over shirt, which goes down to a few inches above my ankles, she still participates in Konoha tradition. Mama always tells my brother and I that we should never forget that we come from Konoha and Suna and that we should honor tradition of both as much as possible. And so, they have never noticed that my Mama wears kimono as well.

Around the time of the spring festival, Mama always wears a purple kimono. Sometimes Papa will buy her a new one but always purple. It is always so interesting to watch her dress into it. Mama's face is so regal at these times, she looks like a queen being dressed by her servant. The process seems so fragile and delicate as Papa brings the sleek and silky fabric any harder against her body, she will break. He will slide the fabric up her shoulders gently, quietly, and slowly ties the bands around her waist tightly. I love watching his fingers trail down the side of her arm, like wind gently passing by a tall field. Then, he reaches for the next layer and the process beings again. The final layer is my favorite. Papa won't put it on her fully, he will let the purple silk drape around her shoulders and she will slide her hands throughout he sleeves slowly. She will then tie the band around her waist as he holds the fabric in place for her. She faces him and then she turns as the obi slides around her waist.

After her dressing is finished, she sits at her vanity and Papa helps her prepare her hair. I come closer to Mama as she rubs in the foundation on her face, applies hard powder, the gold eye shadow, and the black eyeliner that makes Mama really look as though she were the Queen of Suna. Blush is brushed across her face, softened with powder, and finally, lush red lipstick, painted on with a small brush. Papa then comes over and she sits quietly as he puts the ornaments in her hair. The quiet between them is unnerving yet calming. Silence is the way Mama and Papa communicate best, who needs words when there' the other's touch?

It is the one night the villagers do not say a word.

I learned form Mama and Papa that silence is golden. I hope that someday, I can truly understand what that means.

Nara Kumo no Sabaku


	7. Breakfast

Those Who Are Blind

Breakfast

Those who are blind, and those that are not very smart, do not eat breakfast. While it is the most important meal of the day, most people think that my family takes it to the extreme which includes arguing with my oh so lovely wife about specific ingredients that pertain to breakfast only, like powdered sugar. Everyone stares at us in the street and finally I am forced to give in and allow her to buy whatever she wants, causing them to think me whipped and our entire family crazy. Who goes through that much trouble for breakfast?

This is the one time that I actually agree with them.

In the Sabaku household, breakfast is a god send, only given to those who behaved under my wife's iron fist. Gaara and Kankuro's line of summing this up is "Breakfast is a privilege, not a right." I don't understand them. At all. I do understand however, why they do what they do and why it is so critical that breakfast is shared by all of them. Growing up in a dysfunctional household all their life and then trying to patch it back together again must be a difficult task to do. Not only that but all of them are practically royalty, one of them being Kazekage, which causes their lives to be crazy and all eyes are on them. The only time that they all spent together consistently was the mornings over breakfast. My wife revealed to me later that this was bonding time for them and then mostly everything clicked in with their odd fetish with breakfast. Mostly.

In the mornings after Temari tears away from me, I sleep a bit longer and cherish the few moments of silence I have left. Soon, I will hear Gaara rushing down the stairs to greet his mother and wait eagerly at the table for the excellent smelling breakfast that seems to waft through the house. Kumo will enter my room groggily and practically collapse on the bed, still awake. My son then usually runs upstairs and somehow gets Kumo and I downstairs seated at the table. By this time, Kumo is awake and I usually try and sleep on the table which earns me a smack in the back of my head from my beautiful wife. But despite my desire to go back to bed and sleep, the breakfast placed before me wakes me up and even helps me look foreword for the day. My wife will sit and then the family will engage in conversation. Usually it consists if topics that were forgotten from the previous night and dreams or the plans for the day. I'm glad I get to wake up this way but sometimes, I do run into trouble…

I remember once I decided I was too tired to come down for breakfast, so I stayed in bed. When I did come down, my wife glared at me evilly and told me that I was not to have any breakfast. I shrugged my shoulders and went in the kitchen to get my own breakfast and my wife and children stared at me horrified. In my house, and hers, once breakfast was taken away, you had to beg and grovel at her feet to get it back and if you were lucky and your penalty wasn't too bad, she'd be "nice" and give breakfast back. I never grew up with this and so naturally I ignored her. She allowed me to get breakfast myself but in return I was kicked out of the bedroom for a month. It was the most painful experience of my entire life and I decided that my wife and her entire family was absolutely off their rocker, which is the similar opinion of the public. However, I also decided that even though I was exiled by my wife, I still got her delicious breakfast, that fortunately the public opinion did not receive, and a rather nice good morning kiss.

Nara Shikamaru "no Sabaku" 


	8. People

Those Who Are Blind

People

Those who are blind will never understand people who need people.

They go on with their lives selfishly taking advantage of others, selfishly squandering money on material items, selfishly taking their lives for granted. They live for the day the moment, a snippet in time. Then they make fun of those who don't.

How sad.

Ever since I was a young girl, I have always needed someone. Someone to feed me, someone to train me, someone to be my pillar, my foundation, my stronghold. I had someone to train me, I had someone to feed me,, but I became the pillar for everyone else.

I was in charge of Gaara as he grew up and matter what he did or how he treated me, I still tried to support him and love him in the best way could. Even if that meant that while I physically stayed away from him, my heart prayed fervently for him. Then when Father died, I was the someone who feed me and the pillar in our odd and unstable trio.

That's why when Gaara had a change of heart, he needed me. He needed his older sister and a mother and a friend all in one. And I gladly filled those roles for him as well as for Kankuro. By him needing me, I had a reason to live and enjoy life- I needed them for a family. The little things that made me nervous and jumpy went away as the burden of the pillar slowly filtered out to my brothers. That's when I learned that in order to appreciate life fully, to live through the up and downs you need someone. Which is why I was so confused when I still felt that I was the main pillar, the stronghold of our small kingdom.

I was consulted for anything and everything from policy making decisions to what to put in the shopping cart. I didn't mid it, I've always like being in charge but… there was a void inside of me begging and pleading me to need someone as desperately as I was needed. I tried as hard as I could to find it in my brothers but I couldn't. They viewed me as a mother and the older sister to them, I was the one in charge. That was when I met him.

He was different, so laid back so relaxed not stressed like I was. I had known him but never really known him until the day he asked me what was bothering me. I never sad anything or looked different but… he knew. He always knew. And even though he didn't show it, he was always in charge. He always won the game no matter if it was a battle of wit or weaseling information out of me and really, deep down I was happier than I had ever felt in my life. And so I found my someone, the someone who understood me no matter what I did or said in a way and a level that was so high so complex that it ultimately became simple. Just a smile or a glance was enough to tell him what I was thinking and it only took me a sigh or his eyes to tell me what he was thinking.

That's when I knew that that I was lucky. He had become my pillar just as equally if not more as I became his. We cried together, laughed together, and loved together. The void was filled and soon I became a pillar for our children and he became a pillar for them as well. I can only hope that that one day my children realize that to live life, to love life they must need people because someone will need them. Then they too will understand that people who need people are the luckiest people in the world.

Nara Temari no Sabaku


End file.
